Business & Real Estate

In 1923 Ernest Wandry completed his impressive Lake County home. The German immigrant and master concrete craftsman spent 16 years painstakingly building it room by room..At that time, the stately 4,800 square-foot Grand Island home sat amidst orange groves that extended to the shore of Lake Eustis. Beyond the stone facade were six bedrooms and six bathrooms, two original fireplaces, a hand-cranked elevator, a root cellar and a massive basement with original boiler. The Wandry House also boasts a covered lower porch and wraparound upper porch with balustrade.

The basement once housed a vault filled with Wandry's gold, but sometime in the home’s rich history the stash went missing. Rumors that Wandry had hidden treasure in the walls led one former owner to take a metal detector into the basement and drive a few holes into the thick concrete walls with a sledgehammer. There are no reports anything was discovered.In the early 1990s Grand Island Tennis Club purchased the Eustis historic landmark and its surrounding five acres to build a 14-court tennis club and recreation center. That plan was later scrapped, but not before the Wandry House was upgraded for commercial use by adding a 50 car parking lot, updated electric, commercial plumbing and septic, a clay tennis court, and a terraced lawn.Currently, the home is in a state of renovation. Owners Jeff and Stephanie Clunn hope a buyer will appreciate the home's rich history and take advantage of its potential as an event center, high-end wedding venue, bed and breakfast, or tennis club, uses for which the City of Eustis has already given its approval.The Wandry House is located at 3300 Grand Island Shores Road in Grand Island. Contact Jennifer Dempsey, historic home specialist, for a showing at 352-360-5981.

Photo credit: Jeff Hegarty

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​Many downtown landlords rallied together this summer to fight against their common nemesis--termites.

The tenting process begins again soon on a different block. This time the building on the southwest corner of 4th and Donnelly, which includes Las Palmas Cuban Restaurant, will undergo fumigation.

Mount Dora Olive Oil Company, another tenant in the building, worked to remove all of its olive and food products, as well as empty bottles to ensure food safety. Las Palmas' perishables will be stored in cold storage trailers.

Termites are a common issue for historic buildings in Florida and downtown Mount Dora's are no different. In June, the entire eastern block of Donnelly Street between Fourth and Third Avenues were tented.

Finally, she has been given the recognition she deserves. Sydonie Mansion, located just a few miles southeast of Mount Dora, was finally listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Sydonie, believed built in 1885, has been designated the oldestmansion in Florida which paves the way for grant opportunities to help fund costly renovations.

​Inspired by the famous Alhambra Castle in Spain, she is a jaw-dropping Mediterranean Revival estate featuring thirteen bedrooms and ten bathrooms in the main house alone. The architecture, craftsmanship and lakefront setting are an unexpected marvel nestled on one of the most captivating pieces of property in Central Florida. Her rich history shows like fine lines on the face of a classic beauty.

Originally built on 600 acres as a hunting camp by wealthy Pittsburgh steal magnate, James Laughlin, Sydonie was remodeled in 1904 by renowned architect Grosvenor Atterbury. This was the same architect that designed John D. Rockefeller's estate in Maine, remodeled New York's City Hall, as well as worked for the firm that remodeled the East and West Wings of the White House.

The mansion's thirteen fireplaces are spread the over 22,000 square-foot main house and its guest's quarters. Completely self-contained, the sprawling estate required 49 gardeners, plus maids, butlers, carpenters and other workers to maintain the mansion, boat house, windmill and barns, as well as the citrus groves, dairy and poultry farms. In 1904, it reportedly cost $80,000 in annual maintenance.

Members of the Laughlin family owned the home until its sale in 1942. New owner, Eugene Speers, flipped it only after owning it a year and making his money back by selling off the estate's rare and valuable foliage acquired from the Laughlin's world travels . Speers also profited by logging the property's entire fifty-acre pine forest.

Speers sold Sydonie in 1943 to Dr. Du Bose who started Hampden DuBose Academy, a conservative Christian boarding school. Classes were held in the large barn out-building and it was then that the mansion was renamed Ewell Hall and re-purposed as the girls' dormitory. After the school transitioned from a boarding school to a day school in 1980, the mansion remained under utilized for several years.

Over the time, the 600 acre-compound was parceled off. In 1997, Sydonie and its surrounding 12 acres became the private residence of Dick and Carla Durante. The couple, a carpenter and an interior designer, set out to restore the mansion and save it from its certain demise.

Fast forward to 2014, when history and architecture aficionado, Amy Frogley and her husband Clark purchased the grand estate to complete its restoration and share it with the public.

The century-old, Sydonie Mansion, has had its share of starts and stops in the arduous process of restoration for almost 20 years. Today, the impressive historic estate is well on her way to a rebirth. The Frogleys arepassionate about preserving the landmark's architecture and history.

​ The couple purchased the mansion in 2014 with the goal to complete the restoration and host weddings on the sprawling, oak-filled grounds. Eventually guided tours will also be available to help fund the Sydonie's continual restoration and maintenance.

The twelve-acre grounds are arguably some of the most stunning real estate in Central Florida. The Spanish Court at the center of the mansion, bears a strong resemblance to one of Alhambra's courtyards, which was the castle that inspired Sydonie's design. The courtyard boasts a long koi pond, flower gardens and a romantic whispering wall.

Then there is the boathouse. Descending through the lush tropical garden to the steps of the boathouse, visitors feel like they are either in Bali, Hawaii or Florida. Once inside, the rustic Mediterannean building almost transports its occupants to Italy's Lake Cuomo.

Sydonie was designed with an extraordinary balance of glamour and warmth. Although much of the ironwork and lighting are museum-worthy, Amy's favorite indoor spaces are the understated butler's pantry and staircase.

"These are some abnormally cozy spaces in the mansion," said Amy. "This staircase, still sports the original wood worn down from years by those that labored there."

"The Butler's Pantry cupboards smell like home to me and I love thinking of the massive amounts of work that took place in this area to get ready for an event back in the day," continued Amy

Sydonie's original antiques survived in the mansion until about 1995 when they were sold in an auction. "Barbra Streisand purchased the urns from the front porch and the andirons from the living room fireplace, " said Amy adding that she believes the bulk of the furnishings were sold to local residents.

The couple was forced to re-prioritize and adjust schedules after discovering the expense of various county fees and the recent unexpected expense of moving the septic tank found on the neighbor's property.

For more photos of Sydonie, click here. ​To read the history of the mansion, click here.​ 'Like' the Mount Dora Buzz Facebook pagefor more local events, new restaurants and more for Mount Dora, Tavares & Eustis. Get it all on the go with our free mobile app. Click here for Apple app and for the Google Play app click here.

There is no debate, changes were long overdue. Now local moviegoers can rejoice that the final phase of renovations is underway at the AMC Theaters at ViaPort in Leesburg.

Six of the theaters are already finished and open for business. Six others are undergoing remodeling in the second phase.The improvements include new electric reclining seats, a new lighting system, sound system upgrades for an enhanced listening experience, and new carpeting throughout the facility. The movie screens have also been updated with 3D screens.

Other areas of the theaters are also getting a boost. Both lobbies are getting a modern makeover and each will feature a self-serve drink and slushy station, plus a candy area. Patrons that are over 21 will be able to belly up to MacGuffins bar to purchase beer and wine.

"They are aiming for the end of October, but as we all know, things do happen,” said Stephanie Hayes, Market and Events Manager for ViaPort Florida, about the project's targeted completion. “But I do know they are moving quickly and efficiently and doing a phenomenal job."

Next year, Epic Theatres will join AMC in bringing central Lake Country a premium theater experience when their Mount Dora complex opens.

Publix is opening its newest grocery store in Tavares at 8:00 a.m. on Thursday, September 8th.

The new Tavares Crossroads Publix, located at 2042 State Road 19, features self-service floral, full-service seafood, sushi and a Publix Liquor Store in addition to the traditional departments. The store is almost 46,000 square feet, and also offers an in-store pharmacy.

The store brought 140 new jobs to the area. Currently, Publix has 1,124 stores in Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, South Carolina and North Carolina.

The store will be open 7:00 a.m. – 9:00 p.m., every day. The pharmacy will be open 9:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m. Monday-Friday, 9:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. on Saturday, and 11:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. on Sunday.

Every family has one. You know the type. It’s the person that considers tacos exotic and insists on eating traditional fare while other family members crave something more.

Well, the cure to appeasing adventurous diners and their conservative counterparts may be opening in Eustis. ​A new Japanese/American eatery, Some (pronounced So-Mee) Hibachi, features a blended menu of sushi and hibachi along with casual American bar favorites. Now lunch companions seeking a casual meal can savour spicy tuna rolls or sink their teeth into Philly cheesesteaks and chicken wings.

The pricing is also pleasing. The 10-wing combo with drink and fries is $7.99. A combination of any two sushi rolls is $6.75. A Philly cheesesteak without fries or drink is $5.49 and the combo is $7.49.​Sandy and Sky Zhau, originally from southeastern China, previously owned a Chinese restaurant but chose a blended menu to appeal to a wider customer base. The new, family-operated restaurant was formerly Elijah's, a Middle Eastern restaurant. The small space has a walk-up counter to place orders for take-out or eat-in dining.

Some Hibachi opened September 1 in the Tractor Supply shopping center at 248 W. Ardice Avenue and will be open seven days a week.